last post of august

I truly do not know where the summer has gone, and would be more than a little bit bummed by that fact, except I love my job and so my disappointment with summer's end is happily displaced with thoughts of the fall and all the clients it brings. I'm also curious to experience my first ever autumn out west.

Tonight was a great night for a bike ride, but even though my groovy bike has successfully been repaired for a measly $35, thank you very much union cycle I was not able to go for a ride. This is what everyone else saw at the park.

Dance lessons
yoga classes
and the last music and movie for the season.
bummer I missed every one.
c'est la vie.


I stayed home 'cause I have lots of reading to do in preparation for first aid/cpr training tomorrow.

I totally have no memory of any pre-reading in times past, but I also don't remember being able to get certification in only one day so I'd say it's a happy trade off.
It's been a long time since I took the course and it will be a long day, but then it's one last long weekend til we hunker down and settle in to our new routine.

life is good.

sarah's key

it isn't a new book. I'm so behind now that I'm not in the book world on any sort of regular basis. but it was still a book I really enjoyed.

sarah's key, by tatiana de rosnay.

I do admit to being a fan of historical fiction, especially when it is about an event I knew nothing about previously. sarah's key takes place in paris, 1942, intertwining 10-year-old sarah starzynski's horrific story with that of julia Jarmond, an american journalist assigned to research the Velodrome d'Hiver event, 60 years after it happened. it happens that in her sleuthing, julia discovers a family secret that connects her husband's family to sarah, tying in the past with the present in a believable way.

I had never heard about the round up of more than 12 000 jews by the french police. I also had not read an account so explicit as tatiana's apart from schindler's list. I was not able to put the book down once I carved out some time to really read on sunday. my eyes did not remain dry, either.

I know it is "only" a work of fiction, but imagine being a small, frightenend girl, forced to act as an adult because her mother was incapacitated by fear when the french police pounded on their door, demanding everyone inside to gather what they could then leave. picture the same girl making the decision to hide her as of yet unnoticed four year old brother inside a secret cupboard, locking him in, with the promise that she would return for him later that day. try to comprehend the immense guilt she then lived with as one day turned into the next, and the next until she finally lost count, consumed with the thought of his little body suffocating to death, wondering why she forgot about him.

I wanted to know so much more about sarah than the book revealed, but it was still an enjoyable read that I highly recommend.

in the shop

my groovy bike is in the shop.
it's pretty exciting for me, really, cause I haven't ridden it in almost six years. see, that korean boy who lived with us for a couple of months back in '07 SWORE he knew how to ride, so I lent him my groovy bike.

he.so.did.not.know.how.

and he crashed
and the back tire kind of collided with the back fender and, well, it got hung up in one garage, two garages, three garages until we moved here last week and decided we should get it fixed so my sorry ass can get some exercise again. I am going to be "over the hill" in november, you know.

so we put it in the trunk and drove to the closest shop. that's when I discovered that the law in BC says everyone must wear a helmet.
everyone.

maybe I'm just being vain here, but, honestly? ok. I KNOW I'm just being vain here, but if I have been able to ride a bike for 31 years (because I remember vividly the day I learned, and I was 8, trust me) without a helmet, what is going to convince my hair to suddenly don one? I can only imagine how great it would look. last time I tried helmets on, it seemed that due to the relative smallness of my noggin, I needed the toddler size. do you know how ridiculous that looks?

I didn't have much more success obtaining a BC license either. seems that back in december, when I thought I had lost my license and, so, sent away my ten dollars and a request for a new one, the re-issue date says january 6, 2011. only it doesn't say "re" issue, just issue. so it looks like I've only had my license since then, and here they need proof of at least two years driving.

thank goodness I have a great shoe collection. looks like I'll be walking a fair bit.

wiki love

researching tonight, I stumbled upon this wikipedia article.

huh. who knew?

Educational Therapy

this is what I do, kids.
this is what I love.

wordless weekend

wordless weekend

flashback friday

as the dust settles and things are slowly taking shape in our new home, I've been able to take a look at some emails and get a bit organized. I've been meaning to post pictures from my last two performances for a while. looks like today is the day.

I miss my sisters. such happy memories.

plumb

i cannot tell you how much i like noisetrade. check them out if you haven't already. there are tons of artists to choose from and it's easy to promote.

mostly fiction

i think it's kind of cool that a few of the books i read this past year have been made into movies. the chances of me going to the movies to see any of them are pretty slim (way too much energy to sit in a theatre) but i added them to my list of movies i want to rent when i'm in the mood.

here's an approximate list of the books i read this past year ... and remember, i had one of the coolest jobs in the world working at an indie bookstore so i got to read advanced copies of novels before they were officially released! it also helped if i read what was current ... such a hardship ;)
this is a list off the top of my head of the titles i remember, though i happily devoured way more titles than listed here:

the forgotten garden * kate morton
the distant hours * kate morton
beatrice and virgil * yann martel
c'mon papa * ryan knighton
the book of awesome * neil pasricha
one day * david nikolls
the spare room * helen garner
far to go * alison pick
the guernsey, literary and potato peel society * mary ann shaffer and annie barrows
blue nude * elizabeth rosner
mennonite in a little black dress * rhoda janzen
the poisonwood bible * barbara kingsolver
the help * kathryn stockett
the sandalwood tree * elle newmark
half broke horses * jeannette walls
reading like a writer * francine prose
last living slut * roxana shirazi (definitely adult only)
life of pi * yann martel
the swell season * josef skvorecky
the tower, the zoo and the tortoise * julia stuart
an object of beauty * steve martin
assorted christopher moore
assorted books on learning disabilities
one day * david ni
endless love * scott spenser (boy that was an eye opener almost thirty years later)
ape house * sara gruen
the birth house * amy mckay
a complicated kindness * miriam toews
february * lisa moore
the slap * christos tsiolkas (did not like or finish)
the room * emma donoghue (did not like or finish
parrot and olivier in america * Peter Carey
the sentimentalists * Johanna Skibsrud (meant to finish but got bored)
the weed that strings the hangman's bag * alan bradley
one for the money by janet evanovich (seriously painful but i made a deal with a customer)
the paris wife * paula mcclain
jane *
believe me * nina killham
the year of living biblically * a j jacobs
mister pip * lloyd jones
the heroines * eileen favourite
publish this book * stephen markley
baby catcher * peggy vincent
waiting for joe * sandra birdsell
godmother: the secret cinderella story * carolyn turgeon

on my nightstand ... sarah's key * tatiana de rosnay

oh for the time to read some more.

settling in

today was another beautiful sunny day and I think we got lots done. not really sure. still lots to do, like sit on the grass in the park and eat ice cream

cause soon enough, it will be touque time

been a while

while i do seem to thrive on change, i must admit that this move has taken a fair bit out of me. it was a long drive, to put it mildly, and though we really wanted it to be a vacation, trust me ... it was not. except for the time we spent in banff.

that was definitely worth repeating.

so the truck arrived late sunday morning and i went shopping with my friend so i wouldn't be cranky, thinking about just how much it all cost to move and how half of it probably could have been given away or tossed in the first place.

now i am purging.

and i am happy to report that the office is set up, as of 10:59 pm, monday. i guess that means it's almost time to go back to work.

funny.
that sentence just put a smile on my face.

vacation day

a random lady asked us to take a picture of her family, then insisted she return the favour

well done

banff

so here we stay for a couple of days
most excellent choice, if i do say myself

montana to calgary

the best part of billings, montana was the steak. like maybe the.best.steak.ever.good. but it was also state fair week so trying to find a place to sleep was not going to happen. we had to hop in the car and drive for a while to find last night's gem.

it smelled like dill.
like serious dill.

and it had the kind of hallways featured in the shining (not that i have ever seen the shining. but i've been told). the internet was not working properly which made me realize that while it was fun to mostly take a break from texting and stuff, i was starting to miss it. it was, also, ironically, the most expensive room we have stayed in on our trek so far.

today we drove ten hours. well, he drove while i listened to music and played in my yes and know secret pen hangman book or ate. i'm not the most awesome passenger. i get wobbly legs. and i forget to take pictures, or the ones i do take are not not anything. i know because i ask my family and they usually say meh so i delete.

and then all you get is a bunch of boring words for a blog post.
and then i go to bed.

on the road again

arrived safely in rapid city, south dakota. the drive felt pretty long cause there isn't a ton to look at along the way, though you do see the occasional patch of rolling hills and cattle. not like back home ... cows and corn everywhere there. here we saw lots of sunflowers and something else i don't know. maybe sorghum?

first stop was mitchell, minnesota, to see the corn palace. wow. evan didn't even get out of the car. jonam was a trooper. it was ... well, it was a lot of corn that appeared to be glued to the surface of an arena. and inside the arena you could buy jewelery, and magnets and popcorn.

and so i did (minus the jewelery). good times.

then the plan was to drive to somewhere in south dakota. stupid road signs all down the 90 telling you to go to wall drug. even a bumper sticker saying "what the heck is wall drug?" the signs saying fresh homemade donuts finally did it for me. i couldn't resist. the verdict? so not even close to spicer's doughnuts. *sigh* i am just going to have to get over that.

wall drug was fun i suppose. i scarfed down the buffet dinner in a very unladylike and piggish way but girl was hungry! we didn't stay long. it was tacky and touristy and i didn't need a mini licence plate with my name on it as a souvenier thank you.

so now it's of to another hotel, in another state, hopefully to sleep!

kissin the bean

well, only sort of
i wouldn't really kiss it ... you wouldn't either if you saw all those grimy hand prints but i told joan i would

so i did

i really love chicago

last item on the truck

... so we must really be moving.
see chris thile loading our patio table? yah, i was shocked, too. had no idea he moon-lighted that way.

sisters finale

the story of my life

lately, the story of my life has been saying goodbye. i don't remember it feeling this emotional when we moved overseas. or any of the other fifteen or so times we have moved (not counting the times i moved with my family growing up).

today i thought for sure i was going to be gushing tears.
not one.
i think i cried myself silly sunday, monday and tuesday. maybe i'm getting somewhere afterall.

thanks again for dinner mom and dad. i love you!

just the facts, please

do you always tell the truth?

today's prompt is loaded. while i would love to answer with a resounding yes, yes, of course i always tell the truth, that would, in itself, be a lie. i don't know if people are capable of always doing things perfectly or ideally, but i do know that i strive to be as honest as possible in every situation and most definitely seek to be true to myself.

i have always told my friends that i would rather they be honest with me and risk making me feel embarrassed or hurt than let me keep doing stupid things. so far i have had very few take up the challenge. i understand.

i have often been called prickly.
i think another adjective could be brutally honest.
sometimes the truth hurts.

telling the truth isn't all it's cracked up to be.

a funny thing happened on the way to the lampshade

we even exchanged books this night

What is the best first sentence you can think of off the top of your head?

Then she turned and walked away because the words had all been said, her face could find no more expression and her time, truly, had been spent, but never once did she feel alone.

not fiction

tonight i sang with my 'sisters' for the second last time. next week, at Victoria Playhouse, Petrolia, we do our finale.

a bittersweet symphony

if I was there

have you ever wished you could enter a book?

and how
time and time again.
even the creepy ones. except never V.C. Andrews. shudder. those books scare the pants off me. at least they did, back in my tween/early teen days. you know, those long, ever-lasting days of summer when you have absolutely nothing on your agenda and no one looking to you to do anything for them?

in those days I saturated myself with the wickedly wonderful words of go ask alice, endless love and forever, to name only a few. talk about eye openers.

I was also a ring leader at the school library where censorship was concerned. our public school librarian used to white out words and phrases she felt were inappropriate for our age. um, how about just don't have those adult books in a children's library?

in any case, I was the kid sitting at the table, gently scraping the white out off the fine print while a crowd of eager eyes drew unnecessary attention to the goings-on inevitably landing me a good screaming "for show" and another temporary library ban.

is it a surprise I went on to study literature in school or just ironic?

I do know that I wanted to enter pretty much every single book I wrapped my grubby little hands on. nothing was off-limits in my mind and I am glad of it. I have a general understanding of lots of topics, a wide and varied imagination and an appreciation of the stranger things in life as a direct result.

I love to read
I love to write
and there are still plenty of worlds to enter

An Object of Beauty – Steve Martin - book review

first off, let me state that I hate writing book reviews. I prefer to enjoy a book or not enjoy it and just verbalize in person, if you care to ask. second, I just go read my friend Sarah's review of said book or tell her she has to read it if she hasn't already. much simpler.

In any case, I have written quite a number of book reviews, this being one:

I have long been a fan of Steve Martin, admiring his wit and undeniable charm, through his novels and movies but I somehow missed that he had written something new until I found this gem: An Object of Beauty. I am utterly in love. It helped that it was released at the perfect time to purchase myself a birthday present, lucky me. Martin is a genius of a wordsmith, lush, eloquent and timely.

Lacey Yeager is the main character, though the story is not told in first person. Daniel Franks, her biggest fan and confidante, lets the reader in on the story instead. I love that he is the one telling the tale, as the reader is privy to information she is not willing to admit or divulge herself.

Lacey is described by Daniel as a head-turner with perfect skin and the ability to get whatever she wants, anywhere, anytime. As the novel proceeds, you become further impressed by her prowess, wondering, perhaps, how in the world Steve Martin is able to portray the character of a power hungry woman so convincingly. I liked Lacey Yeager enough I suppose, though I knew I would never befriend someone like her.

The interjection of art plates in the novel may at first seem a little disjointed, but paints a side picture crucial to the storyline. The reader is further drawn in, questioning who or what an actual object of beauty is; Lacey? or the valuable pieces of artistry she purchases, sells and otherwise melds herself into? Who gets to decide what is beautiful and valuable? Is it acceptable to lie and steal if, as in Robin Hood, everyone truly deserving gets a cut? Is all fair in love and art?

Lacey cares about one thing in life: herself, and she will do whatever it takes to ensure that she is the centre of attention while constantly on the rise. She leaves a wake of destruction behind her, never bothering to clean up her messes. Daniel trails alongside, or rather in behind, as often as she allows it, nearly invisible to her, except when she finds him particularly charming or useful.

An absolute object of beauty … you should make this one book treat yourself to for 2011.

more fiction

who is your favourite author?

well, first of all, you are asking the wrong girl. i mean, honestly, does anyone out there have one favourite? i remember how much of a panic i was in when a former employer asked her staff to list their top 5 or so novels. talk about next to impossible ... i worked in an independent bookstore! i was surrounded by great literature!
having to think about every single book you have ever read and then make comparisions and draw conclusions? what about those books i love to hate? have plenty of them. does that make them favourites, too?

but the first author who popped into my mind today was steve martin.
for real

yah. which is kind of odd since i have only read three of his books:
shopgirl
the alphabet from a - y with bonus letter z
and an object of beauty

looking at his filmography list, i discovered i have seen almost every single movie attached to his name. i am definitely a martin fan. it's a toss up between l.a. story and mixed nuts for top place. i barely remember anything about l.a. story, i watched it ever so long ago, but some things just stick in your memory for one reason or another. i remember feeling quite attached after viewing it and have been trying to find a copy ever since. mixed nuts is an annual must see around here. hardly anyone else i know has ever heard of it, and of the handful that have, even fewer appreciate it. i dig it hugely.

i'm not really a banjo fan, for sure, but the boy can play! took me years to even find out that he was a musician at all. man, what can't he do?

fiction

What is your favourite book?

I do love to read ... when I get the chance. not many chances these days. life is going full steam ahead and I am incredibly thankful for that right now. makes all the goodbyes that much easier. as if saying goodbye can ever be considered easy.

I finally picked up a copy of Sarah's Key and was totally relived to read that my good friend Sarah loved it. at least I know I will too. seriously, we have this same book love thing going on. except for her love of janet evanovich.

never.will.understand.that.